Learn to visualize yourself while swinging

September 1, 1982

By Jack Woods

If possible, one has to learn to visualize pretty clearly to play easy golf.

Many teachers have written about visualizing the flight of the ball. And before now I have explained what I call ''the Polaroid shot,'' when one takes an imaginary instant color photo of the terrain ahead of you and of the target and holds it in the mind's eye while swinging.

But now I want to talk about seeing oneself swinging.

I have asked a lot of people about this and most of them say they don't actually see themselves swinging in their mind's eye, but somebody else. Or, if they can picture themselves, it is as if they were somewhere else, standing to one side. Or as if it were a video showing them swinging.

Now this isn't quite good enough. You have to see yourself, as you are, where you are. And for most people, I gather, this is difficult.

Stand as at the address. It matters not whether or not you have a club in your hand, but you may feel more realistic with one. Now try to imagine that you are two people, an inner you and an outer you.

Let the outer you just stand there, quite still. Now feel that the Inner You is executing a perfect golf swing while the Outer You stays still.

See the Inner You take the club back, pause, then swing it down and out and up . . . PERFECTLY.

Do this several times. Many times if you can bear it.

Then let both Yous join in together, in unison.

This may sound crazy, but it works for many folks. And it works because in visualization it is best to visualize not only the actual ball flying to the actual target but the actual YOU swinging to make it go there. Not somebody else swinging. YOU swinging.

Once you get the hang of it you will be able to visualize all sorts of different shots, draws, hooks, fades, trouble shots, bunker shots and perform them all creditably.

No fooling, it WORKS!

Next up

Here are more stories that look at the news with empathy, insight, and hope.